Review of Island Games
Posted: 22 Sep 2021, 11:59
[Following is a volunteer review of "Island Games" by Caleb J. Boyer.]
Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer is a young adult fictional story of two teenage boys, Matthew and Ryan, who get stuck on a mysterious island. The boys have no recollection of their pasts except for the fact that they are both best friends. They survive a number of obstacles to be able to get off the island and find out who would be cruel enough to set them up in such a dangerous situation. As they keep moving forward, conquering challenges and earning rewards for their hard-work, they learn many important life lessons. In order to survive, the boys are supposed to get through four quadrants of the island, which includes facing different weather conditions of tropical, desert, prairie, and frozen tundra regions. They learn the importance of teamwork as they realise that it was none other than them working together which made their survival possible.
While reading the story, it felt as if the boys were inside a video game. I think even the name of the book goes well with this idea of it being similar to a video game. I really liked the idea and concept of the book. The author tried adding cliffhangers at the end of almost every chapter. I am exceptionally impressed with the author's creativity and imagination at such a young age. The fact that even adults would get to learn some lessons from the book is commendable. The description of surroundings, actions, and characters was pretty well-done. The narration of the views and nature made it seem as if seen by the reader's own eyes. The message of teamwork was conveyed excellently.
There were several things that I disliked about this book. First of all, the description clearly states that the book is a young adult, but I've read enough young adult books to know it definitely wasn't Y.A. According to the book, the characters, Matthew and Ryan, are teenagers, but their actions state otherwise. The way the characters acted and conversed gave the impression of them being more like middle-schoolers.
The storyline was quite simple, although I know it was supposed to be a light adventure, but as you keep reading, the plot becomes way too predictable. This is what I think might cause lack of interest in readers. The writing was not up to the mark. Again, I am aware that the author is very young, and it also became too obvious while reading the book. A lot of words and sentences were repetitious. Also, the sentences were often confusing and hence urging one to re-read them. One last thing that I would like to point out is the ending which I was disappointed with. The end made it seem as if there was a sequel to the book which I am not sure about as there was nothing on that in the author's note.
The book seems to be edited well as there was only one mistake that I found. There was no profane language used neither was there any sexual content. Therefore, this book is equally suitable for all age groups. I would recommend this book mostly to pre-teens and the teenagers and adults who want to read something light in order to relax. Island Games is suggested to the ones who like to read about adventure and 'in real life' video games. I won't rate it with full stars as for the reasons mentioned above. In the end, I rate the book with 2 out of 4 stars for its concept and editing.
******
Island Games
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer is a young adult fictional story of two teenage boys, Matthew and Ryan, who get stuck on a mysterious island. The boys have no recollection of their pasts except for the fact that they are both best friends. They survive a number of obstacles to be able to get off the island and find out who would be cruel enough to set them up in such a dangerous situation. As they keep moving forward, conquering challenges and earning rewards for their hard-work, they learn many important life lessons. In order to survive, the boys are supposed to get through four quadrants of the island, which includes facing different weather conditions of tropical, desert, prairie, and frozen tundra regions. They learn the importance of teamwork as they realise that it was none other than them working together which made their survival possible.
While reading the story, it felt as if the boys were inside a video game. I think even the name of the book goes well with this idea of it being similar to a video game. I really liked the idea and concept of the book. The author tried adding cliffhangers at the end of almost every chapter. I am exceptionally impressed with the author's creativity and imagination at such a young age. The fact that even adults would get to learn some lessons from the book is commendable. The description of surroundings, actions, and characters was pretty well-done. The narration of the views and nature made it seem as if seen by the reader's own eyes. The message of teamwork was conveyed excellently.
There were several things that I disliked about this book. First of all, the description clearly states that the book is a young adult, but I've read enough young adult books to know it definitely wasn't Y.A. According to the book, the characters, Matthew and Ryan, are teenagers, but their actions state otherwise. The way the characters acted and conversed gave the impression of them being more like middle-schoolers.
The storyline was quite simple, although I know it was supposed to be a light adventure, but as you keep reading, the plot becomes way too predictable. This is what I think might cause lack of interest in readers. The writing was not up to the mark. Again, I am aware that the author is very young, and it also became too obvious while reading the book. A lot of words and sentences were repetitious. Also, the sentences were often confusing and hence urging one to re-read them. One last thing that I would like to point out is the ending which I was disappointed with. The end made it seem as if there was a sequel to the book which I am not sure about as there was nothing on that in the author's note.
The book seems to be edited well as there was only one mistake that I found. There was no profane language used neither was there any sexual content. Therefore, this book is equally suitable for all age groups. I would recommend this book mostly to pre-teens and the teenagers and adults who want to read something light in order to relax. Island Games is suggested to the ones who like to read about adventure and 'in real life' video games. I won't rate it with full stars as for the reasons mentioned above. In the end, I rate the book with 2 out of 4 stars for its concept and editing.
******
Island Games
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon